WINNERS OF VILLAR SIPAG AWARDS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION ANNOUNCED

Off cam or on cam, Villar has been touching the lives of people. From Las Pinas to the other parts of the country, Villar SIPAG has come a long long way.

Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) yesterday announced the 10 Most Outstanding Community Enterprises and 10 Most Promising Community Enterprises chosen from among the almost  200 entries nationwide  during a simple ceremony held at Villar SIPAG Bldg., C5 Extension Road, Las Pinas City.

 Awarded as the 10 Most Outstanding Community Enterprises are the Andres M. Soriano Employees  Fresh Fruits Cooperative, Baclaran Vendors Development Cooperative, Baclaran Parañaque;  Bukluran Multi Purpose Cooperative, Dasmariñas, Cavite; Kalasag Farmers Producers Cooperative, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija; Malapatan Multi Purpose Cooperative, Malapatan, Sarangani; Nueva Segovia Consortium Cooperative, Caoayan, Ilocos Sur; Paglaum Multi Purpose Cooperative, Misamis, Occidental; People’s Alliance for Progress Multi Purpose Cooperative,  Panamao, Sulu; San Francisco Associations of Differently-Abled Person Multi Purpose Cooperative San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur; and San Joaquin Multi Purpose Cooperative, Sarat, Ilocos Norte.

On the other hand, named as the 10 Most Promising Community Enterprises are Catmon Multipurpose Cooperative in Catmon, Sta. Maria, Bulacan; Davao Ventures Employees Cooperative, Calinan, Davao City; Danlugan Farmers Multi Purpose Cooperative, Danlugan, Pagadian City; Davao Oriental Coco Husk Social Enterprises, Inc., San Isidro, Davao Oriental; Ipil Market Vendors Multi Purpose Cooperative, Ipil, Zambaonga Sigubay; Light House Cooperative; Paco Soriano Pandacan Development Cooperative, Paco, Manila; People’s Officials, Employees and Community Multi Purpose Cooperative, Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte; Southern Iloilo Area Multipurpose Cooperative in Oton, Iloilo and Valenzuela Development Cooperative in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila.

A cash reward of P250,000 was given to each of the winner in the Most  Outstanding Community Enterprises  while P100,000 cash to each of the winner in the Most Promising Community Enterprises.

The criteria for selecting the winners for each other category are effectiveness, significance, financial viability, sustainability and adaptability.

For effectiveness, a community enterprise should have tangible results like increase in household income and creation of jobs. On its significance, it should have addressed the problem of income poverty in a community.

Regarding the financial viability, it should have generated its own income sufficient enough to meet its core operating expenses and financial obligations to invest in its future growth and development.

On sustainability, it can continue to operate in the long term while on adaptability,  the initiatives of community enterprise have been successfully adapted by others.

Aside from the criteria set in the selection process, a team of validators headed by Prof. Edel Guiza of Asian institute of Management (AIM) conducted series of screenings, site validations and interviews for the past four months.

Among the questions asked in interviews delved in the management of the business, creation of jobs in the community, and the increase in the household income of its members.

The community enterprises which competed for the awards were nominated by their respective local government units. Some of them directly applied to join the competition.

Entries came from the National Capital Region, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon and the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

 The Villar SIPAG Awards for Poverty Reduction, a nationwide search, was launched last August to recognize the exemplary achievements of community enterprises that resulted to local economic development and improvement of lives.

Villar SIPAG also acknowledges and rewards the relentless efforts of the communities to generate jobs in the locality and eventually boost household income.

With social responsibility as its guiding principle, Villar SIPAG founding chairman, former Senate President Manny Villar said it has initiated, implemented and supported various projects to improve the quality of life of people in the communities where they live.